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Four-Down Territory: What we learned in Week 1 of the college football season

Gerald Dixon, Kenny Hill

Texas A&M quarterback Kenny Hill (7) throws a shovel pass as South Carolina defensive end Gerald Dixon (44) defends during the first half of an NCAA college football game on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt)
(Rainier Ehrhardt)

After just one full weekend of college football there are an abundance of storylines -- and plenty of reason to believe the first season of college football's new playoff will be a good one.

Here are some headlines highlighting the biggest news around college football as teams prepare for week two:

First Down: What we learned

If conclusions can be drawn from a 60-minute sample size, the Aggies are picking up right where they left off last season, even without now-Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel.

Then-No. 21 Texas A&M crushed then-No. 9 South Carolina, 52-28 in Columbia, S.C. on Saturday, dashing the Gamecocks' hopes of being a favorite for the SEC East title and launching the Aggies and new quarterback Kenny Hill back into the spotlight. Texas A&M was utterly dominant and might be poised for more of the same, writes Yahoo! Sports' Pat Forde:

Major personnel losses at quarterback, wide receiver and left tackle were filled in with shocking ease, and a horrible defense has improved. That unit remains young and susceptible to breakdown, but A&M also appears capable of scoring enough that it won't matter. This is a big leap forward from preseason perception, but preseason perception is guesswork that is prone to being completely wrong. Given the 60 minutes of data we have to go on at this point, put the Aggies in the playoff.

South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier looks on as his team plays against Texas A&M during an NCAA college football game on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt)Rainier Ehrhardt

To some, the Aggies' performance Saturday was great, but doesn't mean they're automatically a favorite to win the SEC West. CBS Sports' Jeremy Fowler thinks the idea of Texas A&M as a contender in their division is a bit of an overreaction, citing an obviously stout SEC West and a need to see more of an improvement from the Aggies' defense before making too many judgements.

Another popular sentiment around college football through one week is that the new playoff will have an impact on how matchups are viewed throughout the season. For instance, after just one week, Sports Illustrated's Andy Staples has Texas A&M pegged as the playoff's No. 4 seed.

At No. 2 in Staples' early, early playoff prediction is Florida State, who played a close game against Oklahoma State, eventually winning 37-31 in a game many thought the Seminoles should dominate. While some may view the contest as an indication that Florida State may not run the table like they did in 2013, Staples sees things differently:

I could be completely wrong here, but I think we'll find out that Oklahoma State is quite good. The Seminoles struggled at times on Saturday, but their speed on defense remained evident, and Winston rose to the occasion when needed. The 'Noles need to find ways to spell their defensive linemen -- maybe use whip-quick freshman defensive end Lorenzo Featherston on obvious passing downs -- and they must locate other pass-catching targets so defenses don't load up to stop Greene. But those issues are plenty fixable given their abundance of talent.

Just the thought of a ranked Penn State team seemed improbable in 2012 when the NCAA levied the type of punishments against the program that should have been a virtual death sentence. Among the big hits in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal were scholarship reductions and bowl game banishments.

But no one told the Nittany Lions they weren't allowed to win games.

Second Down: Season-shifting injuries in the Big 12

Texas' David Ash (14) during the second half of an NCAA college football game against North Texas, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2014, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)Eric Gay

Some teams saw their fortunes take a severe hit over the weekend with the questioned health of a star player. Texas may have gotten the worst of it, losing starting quarterback David Ash to yet another concussion-related injury that will keep him out against BYU on Saturday and possibly longer.

"Anytime you have that number of concussions, you have to be concerned," [Texas coach Charlie] Strong said. "You're always concerned about a young man's health, and we would never jeopardize a young man's health just for this football team. Players' health is always first."

Ash will be replaced by sophomore Tyrone Swoopes, who will be making his first career start against BYU, a team that beat the Longhorns last season. Strong said Texas will get along just fine without Ash at the helm of the offense, but in his first year at a school that demands results, Strong will have to prove it writes Sports Illustrated's Zac Ellis:

There's no denying Swoopes doesn't bring the same experience that Ash does. Swoopes saw limited action in six games as a true freshman in 2013, though he now has an entire offseason under his belt. ... Perhaps Strong will decide to lean more heavily on the run while Swoopes finds his footing under center. Texas isn't without talent in the backfield, where Johnathan Grey and Malcolm Brown combined for two touchdowns and 5.1 yards per carry against North Texas.

''We understand it's a marathon, it's not a sprint, and our goals are to win every football game,'' Briles said. ''But at the end of the day, we want to win the Big 12 championship and we want to be in the final four (college football playoff), and we need Bryce Petty to do that.''

Petty's injury puts into perspective just how fragile Baylor's hopes of earning a spot in the playoffs are. With a brand new, sold out stadium and a recent history of success, the Bears have their eyes on a prize larger than they could have even imagined 10 years ago. The problem, according to Sports Illustrated's Andy Staples is that one painfully placed shot on their prized quarterback could change everything.

Third Down: Marquee matchups with playoff implications

Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook throws a pass against Jacksonville State during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game, Friday, Aug. 29, 2014, in East Lansing, Mich. Michigan State won 45-7. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)Al Goldis

The biggest game on the docket this weekend features conference championship hopefuls from the Big Ten and Pac-12. No. 3 Oregon will play host to No. 7 Michigan State in a game that will severely handicap the loser's chances of playing for a national title. Further, a win or loss for the conferences each team represents may have an impact on how teams are selected for the playoff, even if it isn't Oregon or Michigan State: (Sports Illustrated)

The ramifications of the result from Eugene will transcend what Oregon's Marcus Mariota or Michigan State's Shilique Calhoun do on the field, as the season's marquee non-conference game provides precious data points in comparing the Big Ten and the Pac-12. With a selection committee choosing the four playoff participants for the first time, the amplification of importance of these types of non-conference games is not lost on Delany and Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott.

"I don't downplay the game, it takes on an added dimension," Delany said in a phone interview on Sunday afternoon. "I think all the emphasis on these games is merited. They're potential pivot points for the decision making."

The other game grabbing headlines out west is between No. 14 Southern California and No. 13 Stanford, a game which will have season-long implications on the Pac-12 conference championship at the very least.

LSU needed a big second half to come back and beat then-No. 14 Wisconsin 28-24 on Saturday. The Tigers' defense stepped up and Les Miles reached into his bag of tricks along the way, but sophomore quarterback Anthony Jennings played a large role, even if it isn't evident looking at the box score. From NOLA.com's Jim Kleinpeter:

But inside, Jennings was playing that other quarterback role, which has nothing to do with completions, passer rating or yardage. He was working hard at leading his team. Quiet in the past as a backup, he spoke up in the locker room to settle his team down, and then he went out and accomplished every quarterback's first goal - he led his team to victory.

"After the half you could see a change in Anthony, a change in his eyes," wide receiver John Diarse said. "You could really tell that he focused, relaxed and got comfortable with what we were doing. He trusted and believed in coach Cam that he's going to put us in the right situation to make the plays."

NOLA.com's Rachel Whittaker and Ron Higgins analyze exactly how LSU pulled off the comeback after being down 24-7 in the third quarter Saturday in Houston and what Jennings' performance means for the Tigers: